Farm bill chances depend upon perspective

N.D. senator says fight will be tough

N.D. senator says fight will be tough

July 07, 2007

MINOT, N.D. (AP) - The fight for new federal farm legislation will be a tough one, possibly involving a closer alliance with southern states, Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., said. Conrad has been holding hearings in Minot and Williston on the farm bill. He said legislation introduced in the House by Reps. Ron Kind, D-Wis., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., would gut the existing farm program. “We have run the numbers on what it would mean in North Dakota, and it would be a body blow to the economy of North Dakota,” Conrad said. “It's very clear that the rest of agriculture is going to have to rally, and if we don't pull together, we could wind up in a very serious situation going forward,” Conrad told the forum in Minot this week. “That means we are going to have to make agreements we were not prepared to make two weeks ago. That means we are going to have to deal with our southern colleagues in a more close alignment than we had anticipated.” N.D. Farmers Union President Robert Carlson said farmers need a permanent disaster program. North Dakota farmers have received $617 million in disaster payments since 2002, when the current five-year farm bill was written. North Dakota Farm Bureau President Eric Aasmundstad said crop insurance would be better than a permanent disaster program. But Conrad and state Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson said improved crop insurance could not replace a disaster program. “The government would have to step up to crop insurance and put money into that program,” said Esmond farmer Louis Arnold. “But I feel that it would be a lot less money involved with having a good crop insurance than coming with disaster payments.” Conrad has been seeking to change the farm program to put northern crops on more of an equal footing with southern crops. But he said Thursday that would mean a 40 percent cut in payments to southern farmers. “There's no way the South is going to take a cut of 40 percent and be on board, and if they are not on board, we are not going to get a farm bill because of this threat from the more urban parts of the country,” Conrad said. Conrad said he still hopes for a strong farm bill. He said the 2002 version should be used as a starting point.